The Rampage Ramaz Upper School
New York • Volume 78 • Issue 1 • September 2015 • Tishrei 5776 • the-rampage.org
After Four Years, KJ and Ramaz Return Home
Naomi Freilich ’18
On July 11th, 2011 at around 7:30 P.M., the seemingly impossible occurred. Eighty fifth street, the block on which the KJ synagogue and the Ramaz Lower School stood, was full of black smoke billowing up into the sky. The community was in shock and fear as the building, which united many Upper East Side families, stood ablaze. When asked by a news reporter what the community was going to do, Rabbi Lookstein, Senior Rabbi of KJ responded, “We can either shed tears and give into depression or be determined to rebuild.” On Thursday, Rabbi Weinstock, the Associate Rabbi of KJ, began the re-dedication by saying, “It’s so good to be back.” The audience was overjoyed as the Torah Scrolls were returned to their “homes,” otherwise known as the Aron. It was an overwhelmingly joyous moment as KJ members rejoiced while dancing and singing “LeShana Haba” around the Bima. Rabbi Weinstock opened up the assembly with a Psalm of gratitude towards God.
Following his speech, Chairman of the Board of the Ramaz School, Jacob Doft ’87, and KJ Board President, Joel Katz, expressed their gratitude to the community for making this new synagogue a reality. Rabbi Lookstein then
was damaged Rabbi Lookstein referred to the event, “not as a tragedy, but a catastrophe,” as no one was injured during the fire. “We will come out stronger!” Rabbi Lookstein exclaimed on the day of the calamity, and that message was
without our synagogue, “it wasn’t that bad,” as many were able to pray in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, notably the Egyptian Wing, for many of the High Holidays. Rabbi Lookstein’s poignant speech was followed by words
delivered an emotional speech, which moved many members of the audience to tears. The address contained a sentimental beginning, as Rabbi Lookstein reminded the audience of the fateful day when the synagogue
surely reflected in the re-dedication ceremony. It was noted that the KJ community has widened over the course of these past four years. Jokingly, Rabbi Lookstein added that although we were in “exile”
from Rabbi Eric Grossman, the new head of school of Ramaz. He referred to the event of the re-dedication as the “next epic in our glorious history.” Throughout the re-dedication ceremony, guests
were fortunate enough to hear performances by the Ramaz Upper School Chamber Choir. The songs that they presented perfectly aligned with the theme of Rabbi Lookstein’s speech of how “today we are actually home.” Afterwards, the new Senior Rabbi of KJ, Rabbi Steinmetz, delivered a powerful sermon. Following his address, another performance by the chamber choir ensued. The assembly finished with the blessing of Hatov VeHamaytiv, a blessing which according to Rabbi Lookstein, is said, “Whenever one receives good news, where the happiness is also connected to other people.” This historic event spread happiness to each and every member of the community. A song of Shehechianu, a blessing that one says on something new, was then performed by the chamber choir. As the ceremony came to a close, Rabbi Lookstein exclaimed, “Thank you God for bringing us to this moment!”
Ramaz Introduces New Recycling Policy
Gabriel Klapholz ’17
The need to preserve our planet and its resources is undeniable. Yet often, this societal responsibility is ignored. In Ramaz, thanks to the tireless work of the Environmental Club, sustainability has become a reality of everyday school life. With the new recycling policy, Ramaz students will need to take the extra steps to make sure that their trash ends up in the right place. The new policy changes the facts on the ground in terms of how the school’s recycling is organized. Previously, all trash – recyclable Ramaz moves to Schoology 3
and unrecyclable – ended up in the same big black garbage bags. Now, there are three different types of bins around the school. In the hallways and lunchroom, there are green bins for paper, blue bins for plastic, and black bins for all other unrecyclable trash. Also, each classroom has green and black bins. While the new policy encourages the student and faculty to care more about the environment, the process of achieving the current arrangement was quite difficult. According to Hadassah Brenner
’17, the current head of the Environmental Club, the first step was to revive the club. With the ultimate goal of enacting a project on this scale, Brenner and her committed friends in the Environmental Club “went through the hallways, asking people if they’re interested in sustainability.” It was Ms. Benel, however, with great support from the administration, who “helped our ideas become a reality,” said Brenner. The inspiration came from Ms. Emily Fano, the Outreach Manager of New York City Eco-Schools, a program
Summer at Szarvas 8
under the National Wildlife Fund (NWF) that encourages teachers to teach about sustainability and promote it in their schools. She spoke to the Environmental Club members to inform them about how to enact change. The Environmental Club “started with composting,” said Ms. Benel, involving Flik in the process right away. The school purchased a small “tumbler,” which converts decomposable materials to soil, for the school’s terrace. The idea to purchase the tumbler was initiated by Skyler Levine
Ramaz Girls look to 4Peat 11
’15. The kitchen staff was “incredibly supportive,” said Ms. Benel, by providing the club with fruit and vegetable scraps from early morning food preparations that could be used in the composting process. The Environmental Club used the soil from the tumbler to make a herb garden on the terrace. After speaking to Chef Chris, members of the club discovered that of the eight or nine garbage bags filled daily after all lunch periods, six could be filled with recyclable materials. The Environmentaarticle continued on page 3
Adina Weinberger’s Album 12
News 2
The Rampage
Schoology, Your New Ramaz Website
Oren Oppenheim ’16
Curriculum resource. Web.ramaz.org. Outlook Web Access. Office 365. Edmodo. Google Classroom. Life at Ramaz is filled with a handful of computer services and online systems meant to expedite teaching, assignments, and collaboration. But this year, a new service has been added to the mix—Schoology. Is Schoology meant to be the “one service to rule them all”? The easiest way to describe Schoology in a nutshell would be “School Facebook”. The site even looks a lot like older incarnations of the social media website, down to the sidebars and dropdown menus. Schoology’s website describes itself as “...not your typical learning management system (LMS). We have redefined the LMS to make online education a collective effort and to increase the overall impact of everyone involved in a student’s education. With an easy to use collaborative interface, our CODiEawardwinning solution and robust mobile apps empower engaging instruction and systemwide collaboration on any device.” For students, Schoology allows them to receive assignments online, keep track of due dates, message their teachers, and see who their classmates are. Teachers have more functions built into their accounts, including the ability to assign students “badges” for good work or special occasions. Schoology accounts are tied into Ramaz students’ and faculty’s Office 365 accounts, meaning they can use their email addresses and passwords to log in. Ramaz is not the only Yeshiva world using Schoology. Rivka Lichtenstein ’16 of Maayanot confirmed that her school is also using the software, while Amiel Katz ’16 of MTA says that his brothers at Yeshivat Noam (an elementary day school in New Jersey) work with the system as well. Joseph Solomon ’17 confirmed that TABC also uses the educational system. The current intention that the school has with Schoology seems to be that it will eventually
fully replace the older Curriculum Resources. Back when the new Ramaz website was launched, the old site was almost completely retired except for the student and teacher intranet area. At the time, the site promised that the curriculum resource would be moved over to the new Ramaz website. It appears that the implementation of Schoology has replaced that plan. Early reviews of Schoology from students have been mixed. “I think Schoology is going to make everything way more confusing because some teachers aren’t using it and some are, so you are going to have to go back and forth between web.ramaz and schoology,” says Josh Sarachek ’17. He thinks that it could “be a very great idea if every teacher uses it and all the materials needed for school are on it. It’s definitely better than web. ramaz but the transfer will be extremely difficult.” Daniel Gutkind ’16 was slightly more optimistic. “I think it looks excellent and could be a great way to have everything in one interface,” he said. “But it’s a little annoying to be on so many platforms right now.” What about teachers, the primary benefactors of the new system? How do they feel? “Schoology has a lot of potential,” says Dr. Koplon, “But it is going to take a while for everyone to get used to it... Students can submit assignments through the site, take quizzes on the site, it has a built in gradebook, and a way for students (and other groups) to have discussions.” She appreciates the ability to organize files into folders (impossible on the older site), and that she “can even give out badges to my students for things like perfect attendance or being a good listener.” She says that Ms. Elencweig is holding sessions for teachers to learn more about the functions of Schoology and how to utilize it better. While Dr. Koplon is excited about Schoology, she admits that web.ramaz.org is still here to stay for the time being. “There are some essential features of our
old web site that Schoology is not yet able to duplicate. There is no global test calendar where department chairs can post test dates, grade coordinators can see all of the tests scheduled for a particular grade, and grade coordinators can approve test dates. We cannot see our semester or weekly schedules on Schoology. So for the time being, we will need to rely on the old site for those things.” Ms. Krupka appreciates how Schoology integrates “a lot of different technological aspects that I think we have been doing on separate forums until now; this is going to put them in one place... we can have a discussion on it, or we can have an assignment.” But like the others, she doesn’t think the new website is flawless. “What I don’t like about it is that I don’t think it’s a pretty interface... Google Classroom had a little more ‘pop’; this just looks like a college ruled notebook. It’s possible that [the interface] will [become] more engaging as the technology develops.” She is excited to utilize the website’s badge feature: “I think it’s a lot of fun, it adds an element— without wasting class time—of humor for the class.” Dr. Rotenberg has used Edmodo, a competing learning management website, for his classes up until now. Yet he’s decided to switch to the new system, saying that “although this semester’s use of Schoology is somewhat experimental and optional, I thought it would be a good opportunity for both me and my students to get used to it. Because I had an opportunity to review Schoology before Ramaz made the decision to use it as the new LMS, I knew that it had all the same functionality that I had been using with Edmodo.” He also appreciates how, unlike in Edmodo where students must sign up manually, “the class rosters are populated automatically for both teachers and students [in Schoology], so there is no hassle involved in getting students to join the class.”
September 2015/Tishrei 5776
Time to Dress Up
Julia Levi `18
Coming into school on the first day, students were surprised to discover that the dress code, which had been fairly lenient recently, was being enforced again. At each grade’s opening assemblies, the idea of wearing the appropriate clothing was stressed, and then again at the advisory meetings. “We felt that last year the dress code was not enforced consistently. Boys were sent to the office much more frequently than the girls. And yet the girls were violating the rules just as often as, if not more often than, the boys,” explained Dr. Koplon. As made clear in the advisory meetings, female teachers would now be part of the “skirting” process. If they feel that a girl’s skirt is too short, they will send her to the sixth floor office to put on one of the skirts that the school now provides. The school used to not have an endless supply of long skirts for girls to change into, so it was not really possible to skirt them. “Over the summer,” explained Dr. Koplon, “we ordered a set of very soft, comfortable, and fashionable skirts from Old Navy. If a girl is sent to the office now, she can quickly and easily change into an appropriate skirt.” The same goes for the boys; if their shirt is untucked or too open (more than one button undone), then a teacher will tell him to fix it. Already on the first day, girls with Old navy Maxi skirts could be spotted throughout the school. As reported by Ms. Hordish, “About ten girls were skirted per day on the first couple of days of school.” Emily Abraham `19 was skirted on her second day of high school. “I was with my friends and a teacher took all our names and told us to change our skirts in the office,” Abraham explained. “We told her we could pull our skirts down but she still told us to change. My skirt wasn’t even that short!” However, since the very beginning of school, girls are beginning to understand that this enforcement is no joke and that they will be skirted if their skirts are too short. “Now the number of girls being skirted has been reduced to five a day,” said Ms. Hordish. “Look around at what the stores are selling! Longer skirts are in fashion now!” claimed Ms. Sole when speaking to her advisory students on the first day. “I think it is a good idea that they are enforcing the dress code more this year, but they shouldn’t be too strict,” said Naomi Frelich `18 when asked about the issue. However, contrary to what many think, Dr. Koplon explained, “It is important to understand that the dress code is not more strict this year. We haven’t changed any part of the dress code. What we are trying to do this year is be more consistent in our enforcement, so that working together is a much more pleasant experience for everyone.”
Letter from the Editors
Thank you for picking up a copy of The Rampage! A lot of hard work went into the paper, and we really want it to be the best it can be. This year, we have a few goals. We want to have consistent, monthly print issues, expand the staff and readership, and expand the content of the paper. Also, this year, we will be putting a lot of time and effort into the Rampage’s website (the-rampage.org). We’ve redesigned the homepage and aesthetic, and not only will we be uploading archives of the print to the website, but there will be web-exclusives as well (head over to page 4 to see what’s coming!). We hope to be able to update the website every few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled to our site for new content like articles, videos, and other multimedia. If you have any suggestions for the paper, or are interested in joining, speak to any of the editors or our faculty advisor, Dr. Milowitz. We’re always looking to expand and enhance The Rampage to best serve the student body! Your Editors in Chief,
Akiva Gold ’16 Oren Oppenheim’16 D.J Presser ’16
September 2015/Cheshvan 5776
The-rampage.org
Dr. Jucovy Bows Out of Junior Year Curriculum
There is a lot of hype over the famous Ramaz Junior year history course. When the first day of school rolls around, juniors are both eager and anxious to get their schedules and immediately check their history class placement. In 1995, Dr. Jucovy began teaching Ramaz juniors American History, in addition to already teaching 10th grade and 12th grade World Jewish History courses. Over the years, the other junior history teachers have changed, but Dr. Jucovy has remained a constant, teaching American History to multitudes of juniors. It is, therefore, noteworthy that this will be the first year in twenty years that Dr. Jucovy will not be teaching any juniors. Although he will not be teaching the current junior class, Dr. Jucovy remains the chairman of the history department and will “continue to play an active role in ‘overseeing’ the curriculum.” Dr. Jucovy adds, “Not much changes just because I do not teach the course this year... I had worked extensively and intensively with the other grade teachers over the years to develop this course and the infamous research paper.” Ultimately, the curriculum developed will stay intact, but students will not be able to experience Dr. Jucovy’s class-
Elianna Schwartz ’17
room firsthand. Jake Lefkowitz ’17 said, “Because both of my sisters had Dr. Jucovy, I have grown up hearing about his class and have been looking forward to it for years. I definitely feel like I’m missing out.” Several upperclassmen who had Dr. Jucovy last school year expressed shared Lefkowitz’s sentiment. Estee Halpert ’16 says, “I had an amazing experience with Dr. Jucovy last year. I’m sure the other teachers are great, although I never had them.” To those who feel sad that they are not getting the Dr. Jucovy experience, his advice is: “For those who wish to put themselves through the ordeal, take my senior electives next year.” Dr. Jucovy is teaching two senior electives. He is teaching Honors US History and an interdisciplinary course called “Space,” with Rabbi Sklarin. When asked why he chose to teach these two courses instead of junior classes, Dr. Jucovy says that he loves teaching all grades and wishes he could teach them all every year. However, “The educational needs of the school and staffing availability are primary considerations,” not the particular teacher. “No teacher has control over assignments, whatever their preferences.” Dr. Jucovy
Jasmine Levine ’17
Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz was hired this summer as Head Rabbi at Kehilath Jeshurun starting in January of 2016. This is a new chapter in our community as rabbinic leadership of KJ has been in the hands of a family dynasty for well over a century. “I have to very quickly assimilate 143 years of history and learn the names, interests, and personalities of over 1,100 people, very quickly…and that’s a lot of work,” Rabbi Steinmetz said of his new job. “I think my biggest challenge is to really build connections, relationships, understand what the community is about.” Rabbi Steinmetz’s experience is diverse and vast. A native of Monsey, New York, he attended Yeshivat Mishkan Hatorah in Jerusalem, Adelphi University for an MA in education and Yeshiva University for an MA in Jewish Philosophy and for his Rabbinical Ordination. Rabbi Steinmetz served as
Day of Service
Gabriel Klapholz ’17
explains that he only started teaching the Space Interdisciplinary Elective with Rabbi Sklarin last year, and that it has not yet run its course. It is an innovative course topic, which, in partnership with Rabbi Sklarin, was a “major attraction that I wanted to be able to do again”, said Dr. Jucvoy. Just as the juniors will miss Dr. Jucovy, Dr. Jucovy will miss teaching juniors. He admits that he will miss teaching the 11th grade course enormously: “I will regret not working with students night after night for month after month on their research papers. Working on developing research and writing skills (and practically inventing the tasks to guide students) has been one of the most rewarding parts of teaching and has given me a great deal of insight into learning and education.” It is clear that both Dr. Jucovy and this year’s junior class feel like something is missing and both sides will feel the loss. “I think I bring an important perspective to U.S. history and will miss doing that,” said Dr. Jucovy. But rest assured, this might not be the end of the road for Dr. Jucovy and the juniors. As Dr. Jucovy said, “Anything is possible!”
KJ Gets a New Rabbi
chairman of the Talmud department at Yeshiva University High School for Girls and has been the congregational Rabbi in Jersey City, NJ and Mount Vernon NY before serving as Rabbi of Congregation Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem, Cote Saint Luc, Quebec, a shul of 600 families. He has also published extensively for varied publications including The Washington Post, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, The Montreal Gazette, Le Devoir, La Presse, The Canadian Jewish News, The Jerusalem Post, The Forward, Tablet and The Jewish Week as well as various blogs and social media writing. Rabbi Steinmetz is married to Lisa Schwartz, and has 4 children: Akiva and Hillel (1995), Eitan (1997), and Ilana (2000). Ilana is currently a sophomore at Ramaz. Welcome Ilana! Check out a full interview with Rabbi Steinmetz at the-rampage.org!
News 3
On Sunday, September 6th, the Sunday before 9/11, student volunteers participated in the Day of Service and Remembrance Day, organized by Ms. Benel. Eager to get a head start on the year’s chesed opportunities, students chose between two equally meaningful and important community services. Participating students included not only returning students, but also freshmen who decided to take initiative. The first volunteer opportunity was at a Masbia soup kitchen in Brooklyn. Masbia provides tens of thousands of meals for the hungry. While it is a Jewish organization, Masbia is willing to serve all those in need. The Ramaz students who went to Masbia helped out both inside and outside of the kitchen. Not only did the volunteers chop up pounds upon pounds of carrots and zucchinis, they also helped to move boxes, clean dishes, and carry large quantities of produce to and from the freezer. “I really enjoyed that we were actually doing manual labor and contributing to chesed through hard work, not just through donating money,” said Gabe Silverman ’16. The students were informed where Masbia receives its food, how the food is prepared, and who receives it. Overall, it was a fulfilling experience that helped produce hundreds of Rosh Hashanah meals for the hungry. The second volunteer opportunity was at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx. The center has been providing services to veterans for the past 75 years. It is the second largest facility of its kind in the country. The center provides healthcare for veterans, in addition to conducting research and promoting education. The Ramaz volunteers interacted with the patients in the rehabilitation facility, making conversation, playing games, singing songs, and handing out cards. “It was really interesting to hear their stories... they were all so proud to have served their country,” said Malka Chu ’16. In terms of the experience’s effect on those who participated, Chu said, “It inspired me to recognize and honor veterans more. I am so glad they have a great center to retire to that keeps them so happy after all they’ve done to serve our country.”
Ramaz Learns How to Recycle
continued from page 1 Club then met with Ms. Johanna Shlomovich, the school’s Director of Operations. She arranged for the recycling bags to be picked up daily by the carting company. They also met with Ms. Cheryl Reiter, the Director of Facilities, who ordered the various types of bins. Next, the Environmental Club had to raise awareness about their new plans. The club invited Ms. Jennifer Prescott, a sustainability coordinator who started her own sustainable living consulting service called Jenny Green Jeans, to speak to the Upper School faculty during their orientation to the school year. Representatives of the Environmental Club also spoke to
each grade during their respective orientations on the first day of school. Recycling and sustainability should not just be the priority of the Environmental Club, but of the entire Upper School, not only because they are “important in Jewish law,” said Brenner, but also because they serve as an important step in changing the attitude of our school community towards the environment. A letter to the editor from Sarah Araten `16 concerning the need to reyccle can be found online at the-rampage.org. Stay tuned for further issues of the Rampage for updates on this new initiative!
News 4
The Rampage
Prozbol
Rebecca Araten ’18
On September 11th, the Friday before Rosh Hashana, students were surprised with an assembly about prozbol, a phenomenon that occurs at the end of every seventh year of the Jewish calendar. Every seven years, a shemitta year occurs, during which the land in Israel that is owned by Jews is supposed to lie fallow. At the end of this shemitta year, all debts owed between Jews are canceled. This past Jewish year was a shemitta year, which meant that this Rosh Hashana would have automatically canceled all debts. Many students learned about these occurrences in their Tanakh and Talmud classes, and they were taught that the way to prevent the nullification of debts is to sign a document and give it to a Beit Din, a Jewish court, and essentially hand over the loan to the Beit Din. In this way, the debt is still owed because the only debts that are canceled are the debts between individual Jews, not those between a Jew and the Beit Din. This document is called a prozbol, and it can only be completed in the presence of a Beit Din. The purpose of the assembly was to call together a Beit Din and have a prozbol available for students and faculty members to sign, in the case that they were still owed a debt and did not want it to be canceled. Rabbi Stochel explained, “The prozbol assembly was an opportunity to remind students about the conclusion of the shemitta year and some of the halakhot of shemitat kesafim (remission of debts) associated with it. Since a Beit Din is needed to sign the prozbol certifications, we invited Rabbi Mordechai Willig, a prominent Rosh Yeshiva at YU and Dayan of the Beth Din of America, to speak about the nature of the document and how it is designed and implemented.” Rabbi Willig explained the nature of the prozbol, and he called up Rabbi Gober and Rabbi Schiowitz to make up the minimum of three people required for a Beit Din. Students watched as Rabbi Willig ensured that the prozbol was legal, and that all of the requirements were met. Students were then allowed to go up to sign the prozbol, which was a very interesting encounter with the effect that a Beit Din can have on their lives. One student commented, “I thought it was very interesting. There are very few times where we get to see a Bet Din in action, as students.” The assembly was successful in giving the students a hands-on, interactive experience of halakha in action, and it also succeeded in saving some faculty members and students from losing money owed to them. It was also very special to be in the presence of such a renowned Torah scholar as Rabbi Willig. Last year, Rabbi Stochel’s Talmud class had learned about one of Rabbi Willig’s ideas relating to key concepts in Masechet Berachot. So, I approached Rabbi Willig at the end of the assembly and mentioned that I was familiar with some of his ideas from Talmud class, and he seemed very grateful to hear that. All in all, the assembly fulfilled its goals of engaging the student body in matters of halakha outside of the normal classroom setting. Rabbi Stochel said, “It is a rare occasion when students can see a Bet Din in operation and hear a leading posek and talmid chacham describing a halakhic mechanism so essential to the functioning of an economic system.”
September 2015/Cheshvan 5776
Rabbi Grossman Introduced
Abigail Huebner ’18
Meet Rabbi Eric Grossman: Jewish educator, Ramaz’s new head of school, and public transit enthusiast. With his yearly visits to transit museums and his study of transit systems in cities all over the United States, Britain, and France, he is truly a mass transit expert. If Rabbi Grossman hadn’t become a Rabbi and Jewish educator, he would have been a subway conductor. He even keeps the subway manual in his drawer just in case he decides to switch career paths. But as of now, Rabbi Grossman seems comfortable as head of school. Rabbi Grossman has known he wanted to be a Rabbi and teacher since he was a little boy. Although he didn’t go to Jewish day school until high school, he went to shul six days a week for youth groups, choir, hebrew school, and Shabbat davening. He loved every minute of it. In fact, he still remembers the moment he knew he wanted to be a tanach teacher: after completing Chidon HaTanach in 5th grade. Rabbi Grossman realized his dream after 4 years of studying at Yeshivat Hamivtar and Hebrew University in Israel. He then moved to Detroit, Michigan and eventually became head of Frankel J. Academy. This year, he takes on his new role as head of school at Ramaz. Ramaz is “consistent with who I am and what I believe in,” says Rabbi Grossman about his new job. He is not coming in with a list of changes he wants to make. Rather, his goal is to better understand Ramaz and then inspire a “Ramaz Renais-
Exclusive This Month
sance.” In other words, Rabbi Grossman wants people to think about change, and “hold on to the best parts of the past, embrace the innovations of the present, and prepare for the future.” Ramaz should not relive the past, but rather reinvent it, taking the best parts and reforming them as the Rabbi Joseph Lookstein would do, were he alive today. Rabbi Grossman is most excited to see all the possibilities Ramaz can create, for he “loves the idea of possibility and progress” more than anything. Rabbi Grossman’s biggest challenge is learning everyone’s names. Additionally, he admits that he needs to adjust to the difference between New York and Michigan. Rabbi Grossman loves all the resources here, such as Central Park, museums, and of course, the subways, but it’s hard to find parking spots. However, he enjoys the exercise he gets from walking back and forth from the Lower, Middle, and Upper school buildings. Rabbi Grossman has two offices, one in the middle school and one in the high school. He spends two days a week in each, with his last day being a “floating day”going back and forth between the buildings as needed. His days are much longer than most other Rams’, arriving to school at 6:30 and leaving long after school ends. “I need to get all my work done before and after school,” he says, because “as soon as students and teachers arrive, I belong to the students and teachers.” Rabbi Grossman is glad that his two sons, Ezra (6th grade) and Max (4th grade) are students at Ramaz, because he actually
has more opportunities to see them. Ezra and Max love having their father as their head of school. As Rabbi Grossman explains, there are two types of Rabbi’s children, those who hate it and those who think it’s the best thing in the world. Rarely is there an in between. Luckily, both his boys are the latter.His interesting family does not stop at his sons. His brother is a DJ and his sister a past model who now works in fashion. Rabbi Grossman’s wife, whom he has known since high school, was a marketing director of a jewelry company in Detroit for ten years, and is a writer. They started dating when she went to work at the Jerusalem Report while he was at Hebrew University, and got engaged in Israel. A picture of her while she was a reporter in Israel is sitting on his desk in his office, and he promises that there is a very interesting story behind that picture, so feel free to ask. Rabbi Grossman is a very happy person. Every morning he says modeh ani with kavanah, and feels tremendous gratitude for everything in his life. His office is filled with all the things he loves: pictures of Rabbis who are his role models, Star Wars figures, subway paintings, books, and pictures of his family. He likes to surround himself with happy and grateful people, and knows that Ramaz is the perfect place to do so. He is grateful to be our head of school, which is “truly one of the greatest institutions in Modern Orthodoxy and in Jewish education worldwide.”
on the-rampage.org:
• Summer Feature: Szarvas Experience (Continued) • Politics: Ramaz and Repubs, Ramaz and Trump • Exclusive Audio Interview: Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz • Pictures from Freshmen Orientation • Delicious Recipes • Sports Previews! the-rampage.org/category/online-exclusive
OPINION
The Rampage Ramaz Upper School
The Rampage • September 2015
New York • Volume 78 • Issue I • September 2015 • the-rampage.org
Editors-in-Chief: Akiva Gold Oren Oppenheim D.J Presser Associate Editors: Eliana Doft Alexander Glaubach Tess Solomon Faculty Advisor: Dr. Milowitz Illustrators:
Gabrielle Amar- Oumiet,
Summer Homework-Does It Work? Oren Oppenheim ’16
Contributing Writers: Nicole Aboodi Abigail Huebner Gabriel Klapholz Julia Levi Jasmine Levine Josh Sarachek Elianna Schwartz Naomi Freilich Rebecca Araten Anaelle Elhadad Caroline Jaspan Johnny Povman Louise Sitt Rebekah Fenster The Rampage is the student newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School. It is published on a monthly basis. Letters to the editor may be submitted to rampage@ramaz.org. Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to Rampage style and format. The opinions expressed in the Rampage are of the author’s alone, and do not represent the views or opinions of Ramaz, the Rampage, or its Editors.
Summer reading is almost a rite of passage at this point for high school students throughout the country. It’s a way for teachers to make sure students’ brains don’t melt during the summer. But, while students may gripe about it, they may find that they-gasp-actually enjoy the reading! And, because of the reading, the class can hit the ground running and lose less time to introductory matters. The same idea goes for summer Talmud learning, which Ramaz gives out to students each June. But the summer homework received by Juniors planning to take Honors courses that September is more problematic, in my opinion. Those of us who elect to take Honors Calculus, Honors Statistics, Honors History, or an Honors Science need to not only do a reading but do a sizable piece of work—a set of problems, a packet of questions, or even a bona-fide mini history paper. I understand that the
reasoning behind the summer homework is likely similar to the reason behind summer reading, particularly given that these are difficult honors classes. The teachers want the students to keep their skills sharp, and to be able to start the class right away when the school year begins; after all, these are classes with a ton of material and there’s no time to waste. But while I understand the reasoning behind this, I don’t think it works. Let’s say you’re a responsible student and want to get the summer work out of the way early. You’ll do it towards the beginning and middle of the summer, right? Here’s the thing: you’ll likely not remember the summer material very well when the school year begins, even though technically you were responsible. This is what happened to me. I wanted to get the work done, but since I had a lot of summer plans and was pretty
busy during the times I wasn’t doing the work, I came into the year remembering some of the stuff I had covered but needing at the least a refresher on much of it. We have spent some time doing that, fortunately—but that leads to the question of the purpose of the summer work in the first place. On the flip side, if you leave the summer work to the
last moment, then while you may remember the material better when the year begins, you’re in a rush to finish it— and you’re likely to get stressed even before the school year. Particularly after the challenging junior year and right
before the stressful and fateful senior year (with college applications piled on top of everything), it’s a terrible time to be stressed. I’m not taking an honors history course this year, but I have friends who are and some of them were scrambling to finish their papers in time; it was a terrible throwback to previous years and the stress of the history term paper, only this time it was in the summer. And these people aren’t being ‘irresponsible’; people are allowed to schedule activities during their summers and to use them to relax. I understand the impetus behind the summer work, and I understand that seniors taking honors courses need to be responsible and step up to the plate. But I think that the summer work before senior year, even if it isn’t dropped, needs to be rethought. Because right now it doesn’t seem to effectively work.
Letter to the Editor: Our New Recycling Program Recycling is converting waste to usable material, such as turning old plastic bottles into a pair of new jeans. It is our duty to protect our environment, the air, and the water that we use in order to survie. In addition, we have a responsibility to protect our environment, the animals and the people that live on our planet. Therefore, in Ramaz, we are beginning a new recycling initiative, in order to fulfill these goals. In Ramaz, we now have 3 colored bins: a blue bin, a green bin, and a black bin. The blue bin is for plastics, metals, and glasses. Any plasticware such as forks, spoons, knives, plastic bottles, plastic coffee cups, and takeout boxes can go here. Aluminum foil, and plastic caps and lids can go in this bin as well. However, the only plastic things that cannot go into this bin are plastic bags or baggies. The green bin is for papers and cardboard. Loose leaf paper can go in here as well as notebooks, pizza boxes, homework packets (even with staples), and brown shopping bags. The few things that can’t go into this bin are any soft papers such as napkins and tissues. The black bin are for everything else. This includes paper towels, tissues, leftover food, plastic bags, and candy wrappers. These bins are everywhere around the school. There are green bins for paper and black bins for trash in every classroom, as well as green, black, and blue bins in all lounges. Please throw your trash in the correct bins and during lunch. Also, the students on lunch duty should make sure that all students throw out their trash in the correct bins. Our goal for the future is to make use of the food that is thrown out at lunch by creating a composting system. If we all work together, we can achieve our goal of creating
an eco-friendly and green school. Please help us acheive this goal!
Sarah Araten ’16
Sarah is the President of the Ramaz Environment Club, and together with members of the club, has launched a recycling initative in Ramaz. See cover article “Ramaz Introduces New Recycling Policy” for more info about the initiative, and visit the-rampage.org for more Letters to the Editor.
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The Rampage
September 2015/Tishrei 5776
WELCOME TO OUR Jasmine Levine ’17 Photos Courtesy Oren Oppenheim ’16 and Akiva Gold ’16
Mr. Jeremy Rose Course Teaching: Algebra II, Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus Hailing From... Rising Tide Charter Public School in Plymouth, Massachusetts Previous Courses Taught: Physics, Sports Science, Optics Lab Most Excited About: Teaching New Subjects! Gonna Miss the Most? Class periods from his last school, where classes met for 90 minutes every other day. This makes easier to cover a lot of material, and it gave students the chance to have two nights to complete homework assignments! Free Time Fun? Biking, playing board games, cooking and baking bread. Ms. Eva Bernfeld Ramaz Responsibilities: Guidance Department Hailing From... Yeshivah of Flatbush High School Most Excited About: Meeting the Ramaz student body, and helping them throughout their high school careers, and the famed lunch program! Gonna Miss the Most? 10 minute commutes to school! Free Time Fun? Water and adrenaline sports, (particularly wake-boarding), and traveling the world
Rabbi Eli Slomnicki Ramaz Responsibilities: Talmud Teacher, Ramaz G.O Advisor Hailing From... Yeshiva University High School for Girls (“Central”) Previous Courses Taught: Talmud and Judaism, as well as Talmud at Ramaz, before his time at Central! Most Excited About: Rejoining some former colleagues and working together with the wonderful Ramaz students! Free Time Fun? Although Rabbi Slomnicki doesn’t have too much free time, he enjoys playing sports such as basketball, hockey and softball, and loves travelling and seeing different cultures around the world! Dr. Boaz Vilallonga Ramaz Responsibilities: Spanish Teacher Hailing From: University in Barcelona, NYU Previous Courses Taught: History, in European colleges and graduates schools. Bet You Didn’t Know: Descendent of Spanish nobility. Speaks nine languages. Mediteranian is his favorite cuisine. Follows FC Barcelona. Free Time Fun? Training to be a psycho-analyst. Political activism.
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NEW STAFF! Ms. Melanie Sokol Course Teaching: Algebra I, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, and Honors Calculus I Hailing From... Indiana University Previous Courses Taught: Ms. Sokol is beginning her career here at Ramaz! Most Excited About: Getting to know the students and community around Ramaz! Even though she comes from a very friendly university environment, Ms. Sokol said that she has felt “very welcomed and have enjoyed being part of this community.” Free Time Fun? Spending time with friends and family, and rooting for the Indiana basketball team-go Hoosiers!
Rabbi Roy Feldman Course Teaching: Jewish Medical Ethics (Senior Elective), Mini Courses for Seniors (suggestions and requests welcome!) Hailing From... Our very own KJ, where he is the Assistant Rabbi! Previous Courses Taught: When he was learning to become a rabbi, Rabbi Feldman used to tutor students for the SAT’s and teach SAT prep courses, whose variety of subjects he greatly misses. Most Excited About: Many of Rabbi Feldman’s friends went to Ramaz, and he has heard much about the school from KJ congregants and their children, so he is excited to see what all the hype is about! Free Time Fun? Rabbi Feldman and his wife (a kindergarten teacher in the Lower School) love cooking and trying new foods. Rabbi Feldman also enjoys playing music and singing. Photo courtesy KJ, ckj.org
Ms. Linda Lowry Course Teaching: Accelerated Geometry (9th grade), Precalculus (11th grade), Caluculus (12th grade) Hailing From... The faculty of a public school in Brooklyn; she formerly worked on Wall Street. Previous Courses Taught: Mathematics. Most Excited About: Meeting the students and faculty at Ramaz! Free Time Fun? She enjoys gardening, as well as reading--in particular, mysteries and historical fiction.
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With Eyes to the Future, The G.O Has Big Plans
Elianna Schwartz ’17
This year’s GO’s goals are to make sure that the student body’s voice is heard, and to ensure that this year is the best one yet for Ramaz students. “The student body can look forward to a general atmosphere of school spirit and positive changes,” said President Aliza Schub ’16. Each member of the GO is speaking up and doing their share as representatives of the whole student body. Additionally, this year, the GO is honored to have the addition of a new faculty advisor, Rabbi Eli Slomnicki. Senior Vice President Gabriel Silverman ’16 says, “I am really excited for the upcoming school year, especially because of the addition of Rabbi Slomnicki as the faculty advisor of the GO.” Over the years, the GO has created innovative school functions that have added value and fun to the students’ school experiences. Whether it is activities like the Seneca overnight, selling bagels during homeroom, the Purim carnival,
or an ice-skating school-wide trip to Bryant Park, the GO has thought of it! Each GO member has his or her own specific role and area of expertise in this student government. Gabriel Klapholz ’17, Junior Vice President, “want[s] to make sure that the school’s chaggigot are more effective in drawing in the entire student body and not only those who want to dance.” While his personal voice is extremely important, JVP Klapholz acknowledges that “all of us have been pulling our weight and making meaningful contributions to the daily functions of the GO.” DJ Presser ’16, Treasurer, has his own goals for this school year. First, Treasurer Presser hopes to “get the school to start to accept credit cards everywhere, including vending machines, after school snacks, and all GO sales.” Presser hopes that this initiative will be up and running in the next few weeks. His next order of business after that is
to begin fundraising. Treasurer Presser says, “With more fundraising, we would have more freedom to institute programming for the students!” For Secretary Shelli Cohen ’17, communication with the student body is most important, and she “plan[s] on working hard to make sure that the student body is heard.” Secretary Cohen also wants everyone to know that “there is a webpage for any student to post any suggestions to the GO.” This way, the GO can have direct contact with the students, allowing them to play an active role in the school this year. Senior Vice President Gabriel Silverman ’16 has his own objectives for this year. As SVP, Silverman is in charge of student services and in particular, student lounges and vending machines. “One of my major goals for this year is to expand breakfast in the morning to include fruit, muffins, juice, chocolate milk, and granola bars on special days
such as Rosh Chodesh, or possibly even every Friday,” says Silverman. He adds, “I would like to make whole milk available for all students at breakfast in the morning, as well as a greater variety of cereals.” President Aliza Schub ’16 is excited for a great year for both the GO and the Ramaz family. She and the rest of the GO team have big plans, and “intend to work hard in order to keep the great programs and initiatives that the GO…started last year. For example, we plan to continue selling great apparel and making sure all of our fun trips happen again,” President Schub concludes by adding that, “The GO members are really a team this year. We’re working together to make student life as great as possible for everybody. Go Rams!”
My Szarvas Experience: One Like None Other
Gabriel Klapholz ’17
Many campers, counselors and staff members who have had the privilege to spend two weeks at Szarvas say that the experience is simply unexplainable. Providing a laugh for those have been there, and a great deal of frustration for those who haven’t, the inexplicable element of Camp Szarvas comes from the fact that it has a deep emotional effect on all who have stood at its gates, tasted its food, and found an incredibly beautiful existence there. Biking 17 miles across the Hungarian countryside was a moment of clarity for me, when my Jewish and secular identities were at peace with one another. Something more than just my legs was driving me forward across the difficult off-road terrain – a sense of belonging. As I rode back into Camp Szarvas on this second-to-last day of camp, I felt as though I was coming home. In this article, I will attempt to explain this feeling and the long journey that led me to it. Founded in 1990, during a time of political and social renewal in Hungary, Camp Szarvas is a pluralistic camp sponsored by the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC) as a pillar of Jewish life in the growing Eastern European Jewish community. Originally receiving campers from only Central and Eastern European countries, the camp now has campers from over 20 countries each summer. During each of the four two week sessions of Szarvas, 20-25 American fellows come to the camp with the goal of enriching and understanding their own religious, national, and secular identities, as well as providing evidence for the other campers that a strong and healthy Jewish community exists thousands of miles away. Meeting over 20 teenagers in an airport for the first time is always a very uncomfortable experience. Little did I know that these same American teens would become my family for two weeks, and that the deep relationships that I formed with these incredible self-selected individuals will most likely stay with me for years and years to come. As the sun came up, we landed in Frankfurt, Germany for a layover. Waiting for the plane, I took out my tefillin to pray in the morning. To my surprise, only one other individual from the group followed suit. I began to realize that the group before
me was one of unbelievable diversity, made up of all different types of Jews from all over America (and Canada). Then, after landing in Budapest on Friday, the first three days of our trip were to be spent in the city proper. Saturday night was Tisha Ba’av. I had been asked to read a chapter of Megillat Eichah, but had not realized that I was to read it in front of 150 Jews and non-Jews from the Budapest community in the Rumbach Synagogue, which had been out of use since 1959. The experience was emotional and terrifying. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, my voice echoed across the enormous sanctuary; each echo sending chills down my spine, as the words of destruction rolled off my tongue in a place that eerily fit some of the descriptions. In the morning, after praying at a local synagogue, we gathered in a circle at my counselor’s request, to share our thoughts and discuss the mean-
at the time, these foods would comprise most of my diet for the rest of the trip. (This limited diet provoked many “hungry in Hungary” jokes, as well). It is quite difficult to describe the typical day at Szarvas, mainly because no day at Szarvas is “typical.” Each day at Szarvas reflects not only the core values of the camp, but it is an experience unto itself. After waking up to a loud “good morning” on the loudspeaker in over five different languages, I would head out to the center of camp to daven. Having had the full experience of Modern Orthodox Jewish camps in America, I was surprised to find that I was one of only five people who would show up to davening regularly out of the hundreds of campers. Szarvas serves as one of the only Jewish experiences that some of these campers have throughout the entire year, making it all the more important that they have an incredible time and associate Jewish life and culture with happiness and fun. One of the five regulars at shacharit every morning was a boy named Andrew. Andrew, who is not much younger than me, lives in the Budapest Jewish community. His grandfather was a rabbi and Andrew wants his legacy to continue on to future generations. So, Andrew puts on tefillin every morning and has worked tirelessly to master the Hebrew alphabet. Not only was he an inspiration, but he also provided a surprisingly rare window into understanding the ancestry of the highly diverse Szarvas community. – while many came from intermarried backgrounds that have failed to uphold core Jewish values, some recognize their true identities and passionately search for ways to promote and nurture them. ing of the day. The circle felt completely ridiculous, Following davening, the entire camp woke but what I didn’t realize at the time was that these cir- up for our morning gathering, or mifkad. The mifkad cles, which occurred daily upon our arrival in Szarvas, illustrates the pluralistic atmosphere of the camp, would define my emotional journey and challenge my where all different nationalities and types of people view of my surroundings and myself. are accepted.... When our group arrived in Szarvas that afternoon, I was hungry and exhausted from fasting the To read the rest of Gabe’s experience at Szarvas, log entire day. Nevertheless, I was conscious enough to onto the-rampage.org and look under the “Online find myself in an entirely different world. Merely by Exclusive heading”. You don’t want to miss it! having a short tour of the camp, I heard a wide range of languages – Polish, Russian, Hungarian, Hebrew, and many others. I broke my fast on vegetables, soft bread, and an array of spreads. While I didn’t know it
September 2015/Tishrei 5776
The-rampage.org
Features 9
Crisis: No More American Apparel “Flowy Skirts”
Naomi Freilich ’17
As the 2014-2015 school year came to a close, rumor had it that the one expected that this item of clothing would not be for sale anymore. However, American Apparel ‘Jersey Knit Skirt’ had been discontinued. If any Ramaz stuone must put into consideration that this skirt is mainly popular in a few Jewish dent has noticed, a big percentage of the female population at Ramaz wears these schools, so to say that it is widely worn, only a small percentage of the American black skirts, known as “flowy skirts”. This garment is known for its ability to be population actually ever wears this garment. It actually makes sense that American paired with almost any shirt and also its comfortableness. It can also be paired Apparel would discontinue their sale of the ‘Jersey Knit Skirt’, as most people do with leggings and tights not wear this skirt. when the weather is However, cold. When people bemany students found gan to notice that this luck at the close of famously worn skirt at last year when they Ramaz had become out noticed something of stock, fright fell upon strange: the flowy the female students. skirt had been put Where am I going to on sale for a third of find a skirt that is simiits price. Seemingly lar to this? weird, one student, When the Hanna Sholes ’18, countdown towards an avid wearer of the this school year began, flowy skirt, had an and the need for more epiphany to buy as skirts arrived, I, myself, many of these skirts turned to almost every while they lasted on store in the Five Towns sale. She now says and a few department that it is “very upsetstores in the city. My ting that the skirts only luck was an online are sold out, as I brand that shipped wear them everyday. The webpage for the Jersey Knit Skirt. from Israel, and one skirt that I locatDespite my luck of being able to buy Note that “Add to Bag” is grayed out; the skirt can no longer be purchased. ed at Denny’s in Cedarhurst. When the skirts beforehand, I feel bad for I continued to search, I was also able to find three semi”flowy skirts” at H&M, the people who did not.” Little did she know, the reason for the sale was because each listed at thirteen dollars. These skirts are similar to the old ones, however they these skirts were to no longer be sold. do not have the extra fabric so that one could roll over their skirts (or undo if their The students at the Ramaz school must learn to settle for the semiworn out skirt just happened to be too short). To my dismay, I would have also have to be flowy skirts from last year. Or, maybe turn to ‘Hardtail,’ for their wide selection of willing to wear worn out flowy skirts from the seventh grade which I still had. No pencil skirts.
Seneca China-Thailand Trip: The Experience of a Lifetime
Nicole Aboodi ’17 and Rebekah Fenster ’17 Nine flights, six boat rides, seven cities, two countries and one province later, forty kids, four counselors, and one rabbi became a family. We started off in Beijing, China, where we hiked the Great Wall. The view was spectacular and it was an amazing way
to start the trip. From Beijing, we flew to Shanghai. Our first Shabbos at the Shanghai Chabad was filled with ruach and enthusiasm; we knew that this energy would continue throughout the rest of the summer. After Shabbos, our counselors surprised us by taking us to the local karaoke bar, which turned into one huge dance party and ended up being one of the most memorable nights of the trip. During another day in Shanghai, we visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, which is 1,535 feet high, and we were able to sit on a glass
floor overlooking the city. Next up was Thailand! We began in Bangkok, where we visited a night market. Although we had been to many markets throughout the trip, this one was our favorite. Some kids chose to ride the Ferris wheel in the middle of the market, while others bargained for gifts and souvenirs. From there we flew to Koh Sumai, where we were able to relax and regroup from all of the adventure. We hiked to and swam in a waterfall. Some of the braver campers even jumped off the cliff into the water. Another day in Koh Sumai was filled with water activities such as snorkeling, kayaking, and fun, windy boat rides. We lit lanterns on the beach on Saturday night, which was a great way to end our relaxing Shabbat. From Koh Sumai we flew to Chaing Mai, another city in Thailand. This city was filled with tons of adventures and new experiences. We rode elephants and even got to watch them paint self-portraits and play soccer. We also were able to go into a cage with tigers; we were able to pet, take pictures with and even lie down and snuggle with them! We ended this amazing part of the trip by zip lining through the forest. Our next, and final, destination was Hong Kong. Sixteen campers
chose to bungee jump off of the highest bungee jump in the world. One camper, Mikaela Abergel ’17 said, “Bungee jumping was a once in a lifetime experience! I’ve never felt so alive.” We spent the last few days wishing it did not have to end. Shabbat was filled with senti-
mental speeches and lots of tears. Not only was this summer program full of excitement, it was also extremely educational and had multiple chesed opportunities. One of the most impressionable experiences we had was when we went to an orphanage in Beijing. We met children who were taken away from their homes because their parents were put in jail or were killed because of crimes against the government. Despite the language barrier between us and them, we still played and enjoyed the time we spent
with them. We also visited the Jewish Shanghai Ghetto, where some campers found their family names on a monument inscribed with the names of the Shanghai refugees. As camper Elianna Schwartz ’17 put it, “The three and a half weeks I spent on this summer program were some of the best of my life.”
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The Rampage
September 2015/Tishrei 5776
Freshman Orientation
Photos by Oren Oppenheim ’16
View more photos on the Rampage website at http://www.the-rampage.org/category/online-exclusive/
Recipe of the Month: Fried Oreos! Louise Sitt ’17
Ingredients:
2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying - 1 large egg - 1 cup milk - 2 teaspoons vegetable oil - 1 cup pancake mix - 1 pack of Oreos -
Heat oil in a large pot to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Whisk together the egg, milk, and 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the pancake mix until no dry lumps remain. Dip the cookies into the batter one at a time, and carefully place into the hot frying oil. Fry only 4 or 5 at a time to avoid overcrowding the deep fryer. Cook until the cookies are golden-brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate before serving.
Sports
The Rampage • September 2015
Mr. Dulny Takes Charge of Girls JV Basketball
Jasmine Levine ’17
After thirty-three years of coaching boys’ varsity basketball, Mr. Randy Dulny has changed his focus and has decided to bid farewell to boys’ Varsity. In their stead, he has opted to whip into shape the girls’ JV basketball team. He will continue to lead the reigning Yeshiva Basketball League champions, the Ramaz Girls Varsity Basketball Team. This is a huge shift in Ramaz basketball and most certainly the end of an era. When asked what prompted the move, Mr. Dulny reluctantly admitted, “Coaching two varsity teams required a lot of time, and I am getting older. I can’t put as much time and energy into both teams as is needed, and I don’t want to cheat the teams.” Mr. Dulny is certainly sad to end this era of coaching the boys’ varsity team. He said the aspect he will miss most about coaching the boys is “dealing with the team members.” Coach Dulny explains, “The boys on the team are great kids, and I love spending time with them. I will continue to spend time with them, but I won’t be able to as much this year. With that in mind, my door is always open.” Although Mr. Dulny will certainly miss his boys, he is excited at the prospect of building up the girls’ JV team, which, according to him, “for the past few years has not been so good.” When asked if there is a difference in approach to coaching Varsity and JV basketball, Mr. Dulny said, “Yes, there is definitely a difference. With JV, you have to start from the beginning, and it is a big adjustment because I have never had this before. They have to get used to me, and they are not as used to practicing as much as I like to, and they are not used to dedicating as much time.”
Is a “4Peat” Possible? 2015-2016 Basketball Season Preview
Jasmine Levine ’17
Expectations are tremendously high and the pressure is on for this year’s incoming girls’ varsity basketball team. This year’s team follows three consecutive championships and Coach Dulny expects nothing less from this year’s varsity team. Last year’s seniors Rachel Aboodi ’15, Skyler Levine ’15, and Esther Douer ’15 were major anchors of the varsity team. However, with the combined talent of the current juniors, and the experienced senior team members, fans can likely expect positive results. “Although we did not have a victorious season last year, we are ready for a comeback,” said captain of last year’s JV team, Olivia Schwartz ’17. In preparation for the season, Mr. Dulny has already started “workouts,” even before tryouts. He displays his commitment and his excitement for the upcoming season when he bellows across the court that team members are “not running fast enough” after their having completed literally 100 suicides (rapid sprints back and forth across the gym). He highly
anticipates the start of the season, and has a positive outlook for team’s results.
At the conclusion of last year’s season, morning and after school practices continued in order to keep the team in shape and prepare for this year. Jasmine Levine ’17 and Lily Haber ’17, sophomores on last year’s varsity team, advise the incoming varsity players not to stress about the excessive practices
because they help to bond the team as well as improve the skills of the players. “My favorite part about morning practices,” said Lily Haber ’17, “is definitely showering together in the boys locker room right before davening.” Anabelle Ritz ’16 was excited when she heard that her prior JV teammates were joining the team. “Once you are on the team, you are part of the family. It never leaves you,” she said. Graduate Rachel Aboodi ’15 echoed this sentiment. “After four years of having practice twice a week after school, basketball became such an integral part of my life. Working towards that final goal, the championship, every season was a thrill that I miss. I miss the team a lot but I know I’ll be back soon to practice with my teammates!”
Arts&Entertainment
The Rampage • September 2015
Julia Levi ’18
From Daydreams to a Reality: An Interview with Adina Weinberger ’16
Looking for something new to listen to? Ramaz student Adina Weinberger ’16 recently released a full music album, Daydreams, with songs she wrote herself. In an ef-
fort to spot up and coming artists around the school, the Rampage caught up with Adina in an exclusive interview about her new release. When did you start writing songs? I’ve been writing songs since I was very little. In lower school I mostly wrote silly songs, but in middle school I started writing songs more seriously. I was inspired by musicians like Regina Spektor and Ingrid Michaelson.
What is the reason you chose to name your album “Daydreams”? I named my album “Daydreams” for multiple reasons. For one, most song ideas and song lyrics come to me when I’m daydreaming or zoning out. I also feel the name encompasses some of the more absurd themes of the album (specifically the first two songs, Fire and
Why did you begin songwriting and why is it so important to you, (specifically the songs that you wrote for your new album)? Songwriting, in addition to writing in general, is a creative outlet with which I feel I can truly express myself. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to release and share my music. Because I wrote these Daydream songs over the past year, each song that I write feels very personal to me. When did you begin working on your new album, Daydreams? Each song on the album was written over the last year and a half. I started bringing my music to my guitar teacher, Dan Garcia, who helped me arrange the songs on the guitar. After a while, Dan saw that I had more than enough songs to put together an entire album. Dan became my producer, and working together with the Brooklyn Music Factory and Sound Mixer Scott Anderson we recorded the album Daydreams this summer.
Eliana Doft ’16 Hamilton is not your average musical… or biography… or history lesson. It tells the story of the American Revolution and the first years of the United States through the lens of Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. Our country’s history is told in the context of our country’s contemporary culture. The hiphop, rap, and R&B musical numbers written by LinManuel Miranda effectively combine slang with quotes from important revolutionary documents such as George Washington’s Farewell Address and the Federalist Papers. While costumes and set look like the renderings of colonial America we see in portraits, paintings, and dollar bills, the actors themselves do not. The cast is extremely diverse, with African American and Hispanic actors playing the roles of the founding fathers. Hamilton injects emotion into the stories we read in history textbooks. Scenes of Hamilton (played by Miranda), Marquis de Lafayette (Daveed Diggs), and other revolutionary figures scheming in dusty taverns bring to life the social tension of the colonies. The
What mood are you trying to display throughout these songs? There is no singular mood I was trying to display in my songs. Each song is about something or someone else, and the mood of each song is unique to how I was feeling when I wrote it. How did you design the cover of your album? Who was part of this process? The cover art was designed by my friend and Ramaz alumna Sara Weintrob ’15, who created the piece in her studio art class senior year. My brother Avishai Weinberger [’12], a Ramaz alumnus, edited and color corrected the piece. What have you taken away from this experience of creating your own album? How do you see yourself with regards to songwriting/music in the future? I want to be able to share my music with as many people as possible, and at the same time my music is primarily for myself. Regardless of what I end up doing in the future, and regardless of whatever career I find myself, I could never stop writing songs. It would be amazing to be a singer-songwriter professionally, but if that doesn’t work out I would be perfectly content to write songs in my bedroom to share with friends and family. I believe music will be a constant throughout my life.
Superstars, which both feature the end of the world.) Additionally I enjoy music that can fade into the background and play as a soundtrack to my daydreams. I attempted this atmosphere with the song Giving In.
Adina’s debut album, Daydreams, can be found on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube, as well as throughout the web using keywords “Adina Ora Daydreams”.
Hamilton Reviewed play also sheds light on Hamilton’s personal life, describing his relationship with his wife, Eliza Schuyler (Phillipa Soo) and her sister Angelica (Renée Elise Goldsberry). We learn about Hamilton’s darker, less morally upright side from his mistress Maria Reynolds (Jasmine Cephas Jones). The show’s highlights include watching Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson (Diggs) present their opposing financial plans to George Washington (Christopher Jackson) via rap battle (microphone drop included, of course), and hearing King
George’s (Jonathan Groff) hilariously condescending interjections criticizing the new nation that split off from his
Burr (Leslie Odom, Jr.). I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of Hamilton. The dances were fresh and exciting, and the catchy songs stuck in my head. I was able to follow the historical plot of the play, and connect it to my study of US history in the classroom. However, the most important thing that the play did was make early American history more relevant to me. I was able to connect to the emotions of the story and feel the founding fathers’ determination to create a thriving country. Watching Hamilton brought American history to life more than any textbook or documentary could. I would recommend to Hamilton to all ages, especially those who have studied American History. Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in August of 2015, can be seen at Richard Rogers Theater, 226 West 46th St., NY. Tickets can be purchased online @ hamiltonbroadway.com
empire. While everything unfolds, we continue to run into Hamilton’s foil character and ultimate killer, Aaron